A Reflection: Radical Transformation
by Trenton Line
When I traveled down to Nicaragua this previous spring I was expecting to help some people out, get my hands dirty, and spread the kingdom of God. All of this did happen but what I was not expecting was that my perceptions and relationships would be radically transformed. I met so many beautiful people and formed many great relationships that still stir my soul to this day. The people I met have close to nothing. Many have broken families, live in tiny shacks, and have no access to basic necessities such as food or water; it was not their poverty that touched my heart. It was their amazing attitudes of thankfulness, praise, and happiness.
Everyone I encountered had a big smile on his or her face. They sang at church as though they were a 15-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert, dancing and crying out. Their mindset was that God would provide them with everything they need and that they were blessed. This blew my mind. In our country we have everything we could ever need, yet we struggle to maintain an attitude of thankfulness and love. What is it we are missing?
What this experience taught me is that true happiness is found in loving people and loving God. In our commercialized world we are constantly told that we cannot be happy without the best, newest, or the next thing, whatever that may be. At some point in our lives we all trip over this lie and believe it. When we begin to search for our happiness in worldly things, it takes our focus off of the true source of happiness, and that is God.
In the US we have all that we could ever need to survive, and then some. It seems to us that we don’t need God in our lives because we have everything we think we need and what we believe to be happiness. In Nicaragua, people have very few possessions. They are forced to rely on God to provide them with their necessities. They are far less likely to be distracted from God’s love and the fulfillment that it brings by material things. This reliance on God causes them to sit at His feet and grow in their relationships with Him. They are therefore filled with His spirit and can love one another more effectively. This is where true happiness is found. This lesson rocked me to my core and changed the way I interact with God as well as with other people. I began to derive my happiness from these things and I am much more joyful on a daily basis.
My point in this reflection is not that you should go on a mission trip to Nicaragua solely to improve yourself or to experience new things. The focus should be on meeting the practical and spiritual needs of others and allowing God to use you to change someone’s life. My point is that Nicaraguans are not the only needy people, and God will use this experience to show you things about yourself that may make you uncomfortable. You can’t go down with a condescending attitude and expect to make a positive difference. We are all people in need. You also can’t go down expecting to stay in your comfort zone. God will use this experience to rock your world as well as others.
“Delight yourself in the lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)